Google MapsA man was shot and seriously injured by an East Orange police officer Wednesday after he allegedly led the officer on a chase through two cities

EAST ORANGE &mdash An unidentified man was shot by an East Orange officer after leading police on a chase into Irvington last night, authorities said.

The suspect remains in critical condition at University Hospital in Newark, but is expected to survive, said Anthony Ambrose, chief of detectives for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

The incident began when members of the East Orange Police Department’s Violent Crimes Task Force tried to pull over a vehicle near Halstead and Clifford streets shortly before 11 p.m., according to Ambrose.

When the driver refused to stop and sped away, officers pursued it to Irvington, where it eventually pulled over near the intersection of Lyons and Springfield avenues, he said.

At that point, an officer opened fire on the suspect, hitting him once in the face, according to Ambrose, who said it was not immediately clear why the officer fired his weapon. He and said other officers were at the scene of the shooting, but did not identify the officer who fired.

The case is being investigated by the Prosecutor’s Professional Standards Bureau and East Orange’s Internal Affairs Department, which, Ambrose said, is common practice with any police-involved shooting.